Machines such as, for example, track-type tractors, dozers, motor graders, wheel loaders, and the like, are used to perform a variety of tasks. For example, these machines may be used to move material and/or alter work surfaces at a worksite. The machines may be manned machines, but may also be autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles that perform these tasks in response to commands remotely or locally generated as part of a work plan for the machines. Moreover, the machines may receive instructions in accordance with the work plan to at least partially autonomously perform repetitive and relatively localized operations such as cutting, digging, loosening, loading, carrying, and any other manipulation of materials at the worksite.
Among other things, autonomous or semi-autonomous machines, such as tractors or dozers, are frequently used to perform normal cuts along slots of a work surface in accordance with predetermined pass or cut profiles. Over the course of several repeated normal cuts, however, ramps may begin to form at the crest or crest end of a given slot immediately prior to the valley thereof. If left unaddressed, these crest end ramps can pose significant challenges for the work machines. Specifically, based on the position, shape or size of the ramp, it may be difficult for the machines to sufficiently remove the ramp during a normal cut even if the volume of material in the ramp is well within the removal capacity of the machine and well within the limits of the planned cut profile. Based on the size and slope of the ramp, machines may also have difficulties traveling over the ramp which may result in unwanted delays or other setbacks.
In typical autonomous or semi-autonomous settings, such crest end ramps may remain undetected until it is too large to be ignored, at which point, the ramps may need to be removed or otherwise addressed manually. Although several technological advancements have been made in the general field of automated worksite operations, currently existing autonomous or semi-autonomous machines nonetheless lack more ability to more efficiently address crest end ramp formations. In U.S. Publication No. 2012/0139325 (“Norberg, et al.”), for example, systems and schemes are disclosed for automatically identifying the edges of terrain and classifying the edges as either a toe or a crest. However, Norberg, et al. still lack the ability to automatically monitor for oversized ramps at a crest, or the ability to automatically engage removal of any detected ramps.
In view of the foregoing inefficiencies and disadvantages associated with conventional autonomous or semi-autonomous machines and control systems therefor, a need exists for more intuitive control systems which provide earlier detection of crest end ramps and more efficient means for automatically removing such ramps.